Five easy IU-themed costumes

The spookiest day of the year is just around the corner, and the time has come to answer the annual question, “What are you going to be for Halloween?”

Don’t miss the opportunity to conjure up some Hoosier spirits, er, spirit, as you celebrate. Here are five easy IU-themed costumes to wear this Halloween.

Herman B Wells

What you’ll need: a corduroy suit jacket, bow-tie, cane, and mustache.

Herman B Wells, BS’24,MA’27, LLD’62, ended several segregationist practices at IU, led the university through the trials of World War II and expanded the campus from 11,000 to more than 30,000 students during his time as president. Wells embodies the spirit of IU more than any other single person from the school’s history, and portraying his passion, joy and dapper style will make your costume the hit of any Halloween party. You can even spread good luck with handshakes, just like the Wells statue.

The sixth NCAA banner

What you’ll need: a plain red shirt, white iron-on letters, and a basketball.

When you set foot in Assembly Hall, it’s hard not to notice the five red NCAA championship banners hanging proudly from the rafters, and it’s every Hoosier fan’s dream to watch our team add a sixth banner to the collection. Show your Hoosier pride by becoming that sixth banner. With a plain red shirt and some white iron-on letters, you can help other IU basketball fans believe that 2018 could be the first time the cream and crimson makes it all the way in the NCAA since 1987.

Dave from ‘Breaking Away’

What you’ll need: a Cutters shirt, jean shorts, and a bicycle helmet.

Most Hoosiers have heard of the Little 500, the bicycle race that raises money for student scholarships and has earned a reputation as the “World’s Greatest College Weekend.” But many have never seen the 1979, Oscar-nominated movie immortalizing the event. Enlighten them by dressing up as the movie’s main character, Dave. Track down a “Cutters” shirt from a local shop, sport a bicycle helmet or cycling hat, regale friends with your knowledge of Italian cycling and get everyone fired up for the April race in October.

Ernie Pyle

What you’ll need: an army jacket, combat boots, a helmet, and a reporter’s notebook.

You’ve likely noticed the statue of a man dressed in World War II-era Army garb writing away outside Franklin Hall, but do you know the story of the man behind the typewriter? This Hoosier alumnus was a Pulitzer Prize-winning war correspondent who told the story of foot soldiers while embedded with the U.S. infantry in West Africa, Europe and the Pacific. Pyle, who was killed in action during World War II, inspired the film “The Story of G.I. Joe” and has a building on the Bloomington campus named after him. IU’s honors program for journalism students bears his name as well. Pay tribute to this famous Hoosier with this easy costume.

A Hoosier!

What you’ll need: any IU gear you can find!

By now, we are all used to answering the question, “What’s a Hoosier?” Not having a mascot we can point to no doubt makes us an oddity among other universities, but it also brings us together in an unexpected way. We know that being a Hoosier is more of a feeling than a mascot. So grab your candy-striped pants and answer that pesky question by exclaiming, “I’m a Hoosier!”

 

---

This article was originally published in the IU Newsroom.